Scott Dixon excited for new IndyCar season

AP

GREAT SCOTT: Kiwi driver Scott Dixon is confident and excited about his chances ahead of the IndyCar Series opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, despite a gut-wrenching end to the 2009 season.

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Scott Dixon feels the IndyCar Series title escaped from his hands in 2009. He knows what he needs to do to keep that from happening again in 2010.

Dixon arrives for the season-opener in Sao Paulo on Sunday full of confidence and feeling good about his chances of winning his third series title after going so close a year ago.

"I'm very excited for the season, I'm dying to get back in the car," he told The Associated Press. "It was a tough way to lose last year, coming up just short."

Dixon had a five-point lead over Target Chip Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti and an eight-point advantage over Penske's Ryan Briscoe entering the deciding race at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year, but Franchitti won with a better fuel strategy at the end and clinched the title.

"To have Dario to take it from underneath us like that was tough," Dixon said.

The New Zealander was third in the race, good only for a runner-up finish in the championship.

With another competitive season ahead, Dixon knows there is a good chance the title will go down to the wire again in 2010, and he wants to make sure this time he is the one celebrating when it's all over.

To do that, he feels consistency will be key.

"With the caliber of drivers and teams we have now, if you make one little mess-up or lose points, it's going to hurt you," he said. "You have to be consistent. You have to really concentrate because it's such a fine margin."

Dixon said problems at the beginning of 2009 cost him at the end. After the first two races, Dixon was only 18th in points after crashing in St. Petersburg and finishing 15th in Long Beach.

"We had such a slow start last year," Dixon said. "Definitely, we need to make a much better start to keep us from getting into this situation again."

Dixon, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner, also acknowledges he needs to improve his driving on non-oval tracks. He said having a teammate who is an expert on street and road circuits pushes him to try to get better.

"Luckily, having a teammate like Dario has given me a few areas to work on, to refocus," Dixon said. "I haven't done well in qualifying in street and road courses, but I'm looking forward to turning that around."

Dixon clinched the pole position twice last season, both times on oval tracks. His best qualifying on a street or road circuit was third, and it happened twice - at Mid-Ohio and at Watkins Glen.

Dixon can be optimistic entering this season because he has rebounded well before from a disappointing finish like the one he had last year. He actually won his second series title in 2008 - the first was in 2003 - following an even more frustrating defeat the year before.

He was two turns away from winning the title in the final race of 2007 at Chicagoland when he ran out of fuel, allowing Franchitti to pass him and secure the title. But Dixon came back strong the next year, winning six races to lift the trophy ahead of Helio Castroneves.

Dixon won five times last year, a feat that allowed him to become the most successful driver ever in the IndyCar Series with 22 victories.

Dixon also has 32 consecutive top-10 starts, and another one on Sunday will allow him to surpass Sam Hornish Jr. in that category.

The 29-year-old Dixon is not getting caught up in numbers, however.

"I think when you are ready to leave the sport that's something you would love to be credited for," Dixon said. "But right now I'm just trying to win as many races as possible. It's about winning championships and wining the Indy 500. It's pretty cool to have (the wins), but I just want to keep adding to those right now."

Despite his success at IndyCar, Dixon says he still would like to move over to Formula One if possible, although he admits it's not something likely to happen in this stage of his career.

"Unfortunately I'm getting a little old at 29," Dixon said. "If the stars are aligned right, maybe. Would be a lifelong dream and it still is."

Dixon tested with BMW Williams in 2004, but it didn't go any further.

He says he wouldn't accept just any offer to join F1, and is glad to stay where he is right now.

"The thing is, I wouldn't want to be a filler. I want to compete for wins," he said.

Dixon said it's extra special to be in Brazil, the home country of his childhood racing idol, the late Ayrton Senna.

"It's very cool," he said. "He was a hero to probably half the field here. When we were growing up, he was the man. He was talented in so much different areas, the kind of all-around driver that you don't find any more. It makes it even sweeter being here."

- AP